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Natural Conversations

By Adult Resource Team on August 15, 2017

I love my electric pressure cooker. It allows me to have the “set it and forget it” aspect of a slow cooker, but the food gets cooked in 1/3 of the time. And, the truth is, it doesn’t take much for me to want to tell you about it. That’s because I use it all the time and I think the results are miraculous. I can tie it into almost any conversation and I’ve been convicted recently about not doing the same with my relationship with Christ.

Why on earth would a pressure cooker be easier for me to discuss with people than the God Who saved me? I could give many reasons, but the most honest answer is that I spend more time focused on the trivial day-to-day things than I do my relationship with Christ.

When it comes to connecting our relationship with Christ to everyday conversation, the most natural way to do that is to be in relationship with Christ. Study the Bible every day. Pray without ceasing. Don’t be afraid to share with others about the difference those habits make in your life. That last one is the hardest for me. I’m constantly afraid of being judged as ungenuine. I question my own motives and if I’m questioning, surely others are, too, right?

Another issue is that most of my “circles” are already filled with Christians. Nonetheless nonbelievers are in my workplace. When they tell me they’re struggling with something, I ask to pray for them. If they’ll let me, I pray for them at that exact moment, rather than just informing them I will be praying for them at some undisclosed time in the future. I also try to openly give praise where it’s due when asked about myself. If I’m connected to the Lord, it’s not hard to tie Him into those conversations.

Again I’m a little afraid of being judged—maybe a lot afraid. But when I think about the By All Means emphasis, I remind myself that Paul was willing to do whatever was (biblically) necessary to share the gospel with people. He wasn’t afraid of being scoffed at, ignored, or even judged. To him, people coming to know the Lord was more important than anything else. I want to live a life that reflects that same attitude. I want to live in a way that keeps me from worrying about the menial things of this world and, instead, keeps me focused on eternity so that “by all possible means” I might see the lost people in my life come to know the Lord.

​Ryann Mitchell lives in Birmingham, Alabama, with her husband and 1-year-old daughter. She works in adult education and serves as the children’s minister at her church.